LEWISTON, ME (November 12, 2022) -- Junior forward
Maggie Russell posted a monster double-double of 31 points and 17 rebounds, leading the No. 11 Tufts University women's basketball team to a 79-55 win over Bates College in action from Alumni Court in the 2022-23 season opener from Alumni Court.
Russell eclipsed her previous career-high of 27 points Saturday, as she posted her 15th career double-double. The 17 rebounds were one shy of a career-high, while her 12 made field goals were also a personal high. For the night, Russell was 12-of-23 from the floor, making four of her nine attempts from behind the arc in 39 minutes of action.
The game was close early on, as Bates (0-1) took a two-point edge at 9-7 on a bucket by Kayla Bridgeman halfway through the opening stanza. The Jumbos (1-0) rallied back to take a five-point edge going into the second quarter after a free throw by first-year
Sarah Crossett right before the period's end. After the Bobcats scored the first points of the second quarter, Tufts went on an 8-0 run fueled by four points each from Russell and Crossett to give the Jumbos an 11-point edge at 27-16.
Bates got the game back into single digits at 6:33 of the period, but another run by the Jumbos gave them their largest lead of the half at 16 points following two free throws by
Mikayla Paquette. The hosts would charge back though, trimming their deficit to eight points just before the intermission on a traditional three-point play by Sophie Spolter.
After the break, the Bobcats scored the first bucket of the second half but Tufts advantage swelled back up to 16 after a three from Russell at the 3:48 mark of the third quarter. The Jumbo lead stayed in double-digits the rest of the game, getting as high as 26 points late in the contest after a bucket by first-year
Sophie Davis as Tufts rolled to the win.
Crossett had a great opening game with the Jumbos, as she finished with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, adding six rebounds and a block.
Hannah Kelly posted eight points in 20 minutes of action, and
Sofia Gonzalez tallied eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, making a pair of trifectas in the win.
Annika Decker did a strong job of running the offense, posting five assists, as the Jumbos shot 40.0 percent (28-70) from the floor for the contest. Tufts took advantage of the Bates' miscues on Saturday, earning a 15-3 edge in points off turnovers while also outscoring Bates in the paint 32-24.
The Bobcats were led by the 15 points from Meghan Graff, while Morgan Kennedy and Spolter each had 11 points in the loss.
The Jumbos will be back in action on Tuesday, hosting Roger Williams University in the home opener in Cousens Gymnasium at 7 p.m. in non-conference action.
--JUMBOS--
